The city of Rishikesh, in Uttarakhand, is world-famous for meditation and yoga. Located in the foothills of the Himalaya and irrigated by the holy water of the river Ganga, it is known for its spirituality. Rishikesh is also the entrance of the path leading to the four famous spiritual temples of Uttarakhand known as Char Dham (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath).
In the early morning, the sun rays peeping from behind the mountains and reaching the holy water of Ganga through their reflection mix in harmony with the gentle touch of the cold breeze to make the presence of spiritual power in nature easily perceptible.
It is said that from the samudra manthan (literally meaning “churning of the ocean”) a lethal poison was released (known as halahal) and Lord Shiva drank that poison in Rishikesh. Due to the heat of the poison, his throat became blue and he became known as Neelkanth. A temple carrying the same name has now been built at the place where this story happened.
